In the euphoria of the dot.com boom France Telecom went on a buying spree that earned it the dubious title of Europe's most indebted phone company. Then last year it suffered the second biggest losses in French corporate history and the resignation of its CEO. Details of a new bond issue, however, hint at brighter times beyond the gloom.

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Hutchison 3G's products and services, branded '3', will now be sold in over 300 The Link and Dixons stores. The mobile operator has also reaffirmed that its delayed UK 3G service will launch in the next few months. Despite being a new entrant to the UK mobile market, Hutchison's management team, deep pockets and relationships with handset makers still leave it in a strong position.

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A huge shift is underway among Europe's incumbent carriers - and it could have a profound impact on the IT infrastructure on the continent. The telcos are finally understanding that to grow, they will have to squeeze revenue from a market that until now they have tended to ignore: their existing customers.

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Mobile enterprise solutions are starting to gain traction after a period of sluggish growth, as vendors look to gain a competitive advantage by developing applications for niche vertical markets. Mobile sales force automation in the pharmaceuticals industry offers one such opportunity. Up to now deployments have been limited, but in the longer term growth prospects look good. <BR /><BR />

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Orange has opted for experience when it comes to distributing its mobile handsets, and extended its contract with Hays. Hays will focus on helping to develop efficiencies in handling returned goods and coping with ballooning inventories. The continued partnership is a victory for cooperation and investment.

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FedEx is making the latest move in a technology battle among the world's leading delivery carriers: it will replace its clunky and proprietary radio system with 40,000 new handheld PDAs, which will use AT&T Wireless' GSM network to transmit detailed package information. In so doing, it has beaten archrival UPS to the punch.

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Despite the hype, PWLANs are taking off much more slowly in the West than the East. For example, even though the UK is slightly richer and more populous than South Korea, Korea Telecom will have sixty times as many public wLAN points as BT by December. There are many reasons why - but the key ones are government, operator and public support.

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Nokia's N-Gage will combine mobile phone functionality with that of a gaming device. The aim is to challenge Nintendo's handheld gaming dominance, producing the first compelling alternative to the Game Boy Advance. It's too early to say whether N-Gage will succeed at this task - but it will certainly be a shot in the arm for the nascent mobile gaming market.

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Most see wireless technology and the US market as an unlikely match. This is often a fair view - but recent trends show that there is room for expansion in the enterprise space. Some vertical industries, in particular insurance, are among the early-adopters; big vendors are already preparing themselves for the take-off of enterprise wireless technology.

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Nokia has announced taxing MMS sales targets, launched six new phones, and revealed better-than-expected sales figures for its 7650 picture phone. The Finnish firm will face fierce competition next year from Japanese phone manufacturers. However, if it can keep its focus on customer requirements over engineer requirements, it should be able to rise to the challenge.